Both the president and his wife like to tell us how the United States liberated the women and girls of Afghanistan (remember Afghanistan?), but we have not done any such thing. Though it is true that that the Taliban is no longer in power, only the more urban women and girls have seen any changes in their lives. In rural areas, girls still do not go to school, and pre-adolescent girls are still traded into marriage.

Throughout Afganistan, threats are still made to women if they speak out against repression or if they refuse to wear burquas or try to send their daughters to school. Rape and domestic violence are common. The "legal system" is a joke, when it comes to women's rights. Sexual abuse by law enforcement officials is common.

If the Bush administration really cared about the rights of Afghan women and girls, they would do something about it. And if Americans really cared, they would demand that something be done about it. Given that neither the White House nor Americans in general have cared much about the rights of American girls and women, that is probably too much to expect.